Marking Her Territory
by AllusionToAnIllusion
Summary: "He's not mine to mark, Lanie." Her place was being the best friend, the partner, the person who helped him through it all. Lover was not in the job description. "To hell with that, Kate."
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this idea running around in my head for a long time now. I finally decided that I should write it out before I went crazy. And it's two in the morning so if I missed anything when I was proofreading then I'm sorry, I tried. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. I'm just some random, overtired 15 year old girl. **

* * *

Walking through the doors of the morgue she spotted Lanie finishing up the last remnants of paperwork before the weekend kicked in. The dark-haired M.E. glanced at her and waved a hand in her direction, a sure sign that she'd only be a minute, before rifling through her desk for something.

"Didn't I tell you to invite Castle?" She didn't have to see Lanie's face to know that she had one eyebrow raised, an unspoken challenge in her eyes.

"He had a date." She practically spat the words out. As soon as she let the words pass her lips her eyes widened at the jealously that laced them. She cursed internally; Lanie was not going to miss that.

"Do I detect some jealousy?" Her best friend stood up and crossed the room until she came to sit on one of the examination tables, motioning for Kate to do the same. Plopping herself on the table across from Lanie, legs swinging freely, she prepared herself for an interrogation.

"No, Lanie. I'm not jealous of whatever ditzy socialite Rick's decided to go out with tonight." Her face was a mask, indifference flawlessly painted over her actual emotions. The need to scream and just punch something. The desire to claw off the face of whatever bimbo he was dining with tonight. The urge to crawl under her bed and never come back out. Maybe jealously wasn't that far off.

"Oh, it's Rick now?" Damn her, damn Lanie for being amused by this.

"We're close friends. Hell, we're partners." She sighed exasperatedly when her friend's expression didn't change.

"Don't you just want to strut into that restaurant and kiss him senseless right in front of her? Don't you want to mark your territory?" God, yes. Oh, how she wanted to do that. But she couldn't. That wasn't her place.

"He's not mine to mark, Lanie." She grimaced as if she didn't like the taste the words left in her mouth, a combination of sadness and regret.

"To hell with that, he'd be yours in a heartbeat. All you have to do is pull your head out of your ass and tell him what you actually want. And as for marking your territory, you already do that." Lanie leaned over and pulled a jumbo bag of Twizzlers out of a drawer and she knew to get settled in for the ride. They had a major girl talk session coming up.

"I do not!" She denied, accepting the bag and tearing a few Twizzlers from the pack before tossing it back to her dark-haired friend.

"Oh, Kate, just stop denying it. Remember how you told me about that time Amanda came to the loft while you were there?" Amanda was Rick's most recent ex, she'd lasted pretty long actually.

"That's not th–"

"Yes, honey. Yes, it is."

* * *

_"Hurry up, Lex!" She turned away from the stairs and made her way into his office, smiling at how focused he seemed. His hair was ruffled, a sure sign that he'd woken up in the middle of the night when inspiration struck. Chuckling at the Donald Duck pajama pants she crossed the room and leant down so her mouth was almost touching his ear. "Rook. Oh, Rook." She whispered seductively before pulling back slightly._

_ His eyes widened and he spun his chair until he was face to face with her, the surprised look on his face enough to make her burst out laughing. His lips pursed and he narrowed his eyes at her._

_ "Cruel woman, you had me thinking I was going insane." That just made her laugh even harder, leaning against the bookshelves to keep her balance. "Oh, hardy har har. It's hilarious." He deadpanned before chuckling lightly. After a few moments of just watching her, he sprang up from his chair, tackling her to the ground as his fingers found her abdomen, dancing along the thin t-shirt she was wearing._

_ "Rick, stop!" She shrieked, clutching her sides. She attempted to glare at him through her laughs but failed miserably, she was sure it looked much more amusing than intimidating. _

_ "Make me." He smirked at her before doubling his efforts, having her rolling back and forth on the ground, practically howling. But the smirk instantly disappeared when she rolled them so she was on top, pinning his arms over his head with one hand while another went to work on his stomach, torturing him just as he'd tortured her. _

_ "Are you guys seven years old or something?" They turned at the sound of Alexis' voice. It sounded a little too much like a mother reprimanding her kids for either of their liking, but the smile on the teenager's face was definitely an amused one. _

_ "Yeah, let me grab my coat and we can head out. Your father here just had to be taught a lesson first." She got up and made her way over to the door before turning around to find him sitting on the floor, smiling at her from his position by the desk. "Don't mess with me, Rick Castle." She picked her coat up off of the back of one of the stools in the kitchen and waited for the Castle clan to emerge. Just as she was about to go get them she heard the doorbell ring and her brow furrowed. He wasn't expecting company. He wouldn't have been holed up in his office with pajamas on if he were expecting someone. _

_ "Can you get that, Kate?" She heard him ask from the office, probably completely engrossed in the world of Nikki Heat._

_ "Sure," she called back before unlocking the door and pulling it open. "Oh, hi Amanda." She masterfully covered the surprise on her face before the blonde could notice. Amanda wasn't so quick._

_ "Oh, hey. Umm, is Richard here?" She held back the slight snicker at Amanda calling him Richard. It was so overly formal. It was so not Rick. _

_ "Yeah, he's writing." She moved out of the way, an unspoken invitation for Amanda to come in. "Rick, Amanda's here! Lex, let's go!" Both Castles poked their heads out of the office._

_ "Coming, Kate." The redhead made grabbed her purse and – armed with her father's platinum card – linked an arm with hers. "Ready?" The teen's eyes were full of excitement and she couldn't help but grin. _

_ "You bet." At the look of complete confusion on the newest addition's face she explained. "Lex needs a prom dress so I'm taking her out for lunch and some shopping. We'll be back by dinner, Rick." Ignoring the look of complete bewilderment on Amanda's face she grabbed her purse and lightly ran her fingers across his abdomen. "And remember what you learned today, I always come out on top." Opening the door, she linked her arm with the redhead's and laughed when she saw him shaking his head amusedly._

_

* * *

_

"Girl," Lanie practically shrieked at her, "you told him you always come out on top right in front of his girlfriend! If that's not marking your territory I don't know what is." The medical examiner was squeezing her Twizzler so tightly she was sure it was going to disintegrate.

"It was a joke!" She shot back, leaning forward as if that would prove her point.

"Not to Amanda." Lanie laughed, shaking her head at the look of confusion that crossed her face. "God, I can't even imagine the fight that comment alone started. Not to mention the fact that you practically flaunted the fact that you were taking Alexis prom dress shopping right in front of the woman."

"How was I flaunting it? I was explaining where we were going." Lanie just sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Can we please just go out and talk about something else?" She pleaded, standing up and making her way toward the doors.

"Yes, we can go out. No, we can't talk about something else. The elevator ride was silent, the only sounds being her slight fidgeting as she picked at the edge of her shirt.

"How can you not see it?" They stepped outside and the sticky summer air surrounded them. She could tell her friend didn't expect an answer. It was like Lanie was talking about her, not to her. She answered anyway, taking an opportunity she could get to defend herself.

"There's nothing to see, Lanie." Hailing a cab, she slammed the door after they'd piled in as if it would let out all of her frustration.

"Bullshit, I've seen you in action." Turning to face her, Lanie raised an eyebrow and she could tell she was enjoying the look of shock on her face.

"What?" She sent a glare towards the medical examiner before addressing the driver. "Excuse me, can you turn on the air conditioner?" She asked, waving her hand in front of her face in a vain attempt to cool herself down.

"Sorry, miss, the air conditioner blew out yesterday." He had a heavy Irish accent and she could tell he'd be handsome if he weren't so sweaty.

"Packing Heat launch party. Two very flirty fans. Ring any bells?" Suddenly she was grateful for the blisteringly hot stale air, she could attribute her sudden blush to simply being overheated.

* * *

_She watched from her spot at the bar, swirling her martini absentmindedly, as Rick talked with two very happy fans. Twins, why'd they have to be twins? It would've been bad enough if they'd just been gorgeous but no, they had to be gorgeous Brazilian twins. They had to be every man's fantasy. Damn them. Damn him. Damn everyone. Why was she even thinking like this? She didn't like Rick that way. They were only friends. _

_Okay, bullshit. She liked him. But she wasn't supposed to. She wasn't supposed to fall for her best friend. Too bad she'd done just that. And now he was over by the book display flirting with those two women who's names were probably Angel and Destiny. _

_She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the crisp cover of the newest addition to the Nikki Heat series, Packing Heat. She read it months ago, he'd made sure she'd gotten an advanced copy. But he never included the dedication in those copies. She hadn't seen those words until tonight. She sighed as she pictured them sitting innocently on the page so unaware of the meaning they carried. Oblivious to how they made her heartbeat quicken and the last of her pitiful defenses fall for a moment. _

_Always._

_It's short and it's sweet and just perfect. It's everything rolled into one, the promise of a future and the recollection of a past. Always. The word implied so much. And she found that those implications didn't scare her as much as they used to. In fact, part of her welcomed them. She could picture forever with him. She could picture the always she was desperately hoping he was referring to. Even if she wasn't supposed to hope for it, let alone picture it. _

_Because that broke the rules, that was strictly off limits in the guidelines that had come with having Rick as a partner. And those were there for a reason, and those two busty reasons had practically thrown a bucket of ice water over her as soon as she'd seen them approaching him. But he wrote about her, he based an entire series on her. Hell, that dedication was meant for her._

_Nobody else knew what that dedication meant. The fact that he'd put it in a book that millions would read and yet she was the only one who would understand it felt inexplicably intimate. It was oddly thrilling, like a secret love affair hidden from the world. And maybe that's what it was. Maybe that was what it was meant to be all along and she just hadn't known it. Neither of them had._

_She knocked back the martini, draining the glass. Telling Lanie, who she hadn't been paying attention to anyway, that she was going to congratulate their very own novelist on his party she made her way over to him. _

"_Hey, Rick." She smiled as she reached him, she wasn't sure if it was a conscious effort or not when she stood much closer than necessary. _

"_Hey there, Kate. Ladies, this is Detective Kate Beckett. Though many people know her as the inspiration for Nikki Heat." Usually she hated it when he all but flaunted her, especially for his fans. But she was getting some sort of perverted glee out of watching the twin's expressions fall. _

"_Hi, I'm Mariana." One of the women held her hand out, her handshake was flimsy at best. "And this is my sister, Lara." The other one offered a small smile and a wave. _

"_Nice to meet you both." She smiled at them and wondered what their real cup sizes had been. She turned to Rick, offering up a genuine smile. "This is quite the party, a lot of press attention. Congratulations." _

"_You're admitting that I'm popular? Finally." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes._

"_I take it back." She swatted his chest playfully and laced her arm through his naturally, as if she did it all the time. _

"_Too late, Detective. Whatever will you do with my over-inflated ego now?" He smirked and looked back at Mariana and Lara. "Too bad I didn't tape that compliment, huh?" They nodded, looking much less interested than they had before. _

"_No worries, I'll just let Martha know you're in need of some extra grounding tomorrow." He groaned, completely familiar with his mother's version of keeping him grounded. Finding every bad review out there for his book and blowing it completely out of proportion. She giggled at the expression on his face and leaned into his side a little more, noticing that the twins seemed to be getting ready to leave.

* * *

_

She took a small sip of her beer before setting it back down on the counter and taking a deep breath. She'd all but forgotten about that by now. She should've known that Lanie would be the kind of person to not only watch her every move but eavesdrop on the conversation too. She really should've seen that one coming. Lanie won that round.

"So?" She couldn't deny that had been about driving the twins away, it was beyond even her capabilities. And even if she tried, Lanie would know. She always seemed to. So she just saved her energy.

"So you practically peed a circle around him!" When she didn't respond Lanie just exhaled slowly, running a hand over her face. "How can you not see where this is going?" Oh, she saw exactly where this was heading. And she was desperately trying to stop it from getting there.

"Come on, Lanie. Just leave it alone." Her eyes scanned the bar, looking around for a distraction, anything that would get her friend off of this topic of conversation.

"Nope, don't think so. I still have one more trick up my sleeve." She groaned, what could the M.E. possibly say now? She'd already proven her point. Couldn't Lanie just let her be? Obviously not. Obviously she had to completely drive the point home until it was burned into her brain. "Molly Harik." Oh, shit.

"How do you even know about that?" Her eyes widened, she was not expecting that. She had never told Lanie about the trip the leggy lawyer had made to the precinct. And for good reason.

"Esposito and Ryan said the claws came out."

* * *

_The murder board was almost full, information pouring off of it in waves. But there was something missing. There was a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit. Something was off. She could feel it; the vibe was almost palpable. And it had nothing to do with the fact that Rick wasn't coming in today. It had no connection to how she'd been getting her own coffee refills all day and already missed laughing at jokes only he could make. No, it had nothing to do with that. _

_She heard the unmistakable sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor and spun around in the direction of the sound. Usually it wasn't a big deal. Heels were common for women, especially women in New York City. But heels were not a common occurrence in a precinct filled to the brim with testosterone. Her eyes landed on a slim woman who seemed oddly far from out of place in the midst of the calculated criminals and hardened cops. Molly Harik, a new lawyer from Boston who was prosecuting the killer they'd just caught. She'd come to pick up some evidence yesterday, insisting that she didn't want it going through a middleman. And the woman had taken an interest in Rick._

"_Ms. Harik, I thought you had all the evidence." She couldn't stop her interrogation voice from slipping out, though honestly she hadn't really tried. The blonde stopped in front of her, just as tall as her in those heels. It was strangely disconcerting. She frowned, crossing her arms._

"_I do, I just came by to talk to Rick." The way Molly said his name, almost cockily, made her jaw clench before she could stop it. _

"_He's not here today." She saw the lawyer bristle slightly at her cool tone, seemingly preparing for a duel. She did the same. _

"_Where is he?" She stepped closer to the other woman, straightening her spine as if that would give her more authority. _

"_He's at home with his daughter, Alexis. She's sick." She could feel the stares of her colleagues boring into her, their curious gazes burning into the back of her head. _

"_Could you give me his number so I can call him?" The blonde shifted somewhat uncomfortably and she fought back the urge to smirk. _

"_He doesn't like me giving out his number, sorry. But I'm heading over there tonight. Weekly movie night, you know? I could tell him you stopped by." She offered a small smile that they both knew was fake. The lawyer crossed her arms and gave her a once-over, her gaze scrutinizing. _

"_Thanks, that'd be nice." Molly reached into her purse and pulled out a business card. "Just give him my card and tell him I'll be waiting for his call." She felt her gaze turn fiery and she wasn't exactly sure why. Don't claw her eyes out. Don't claw her eyes out. It became her mantra. _

"_Will do." She forced a smile and Molly did the same before turning on her heel and strutting out of the precinct. She turned to find the boys' gazes trained on her, their eyes following her every move. "What?" She shot at them, stuffing the business card into her pocket. _

"_Nothing." They looked at each other and smirked.

* * *

_

"What do I do, Lanie?" She ran a hand over her face, sighing in defeat. She liked Rick Castle. She freakin' liked Rick Castle. She had completely fallen for the man, a man she'd come to call her partner. She might as well accept it. Strangely, she didn't feel any different than before. It was as if she'd known it all along, as if a part of her had accepted it long ago and the rest of her mind was just catching up.

"Go mark your territory." Lanie smirked and tipped her beer at her before taking a long swig.

* * *

**So there's one more chapter to this. I'm not sure when it'll be up but it's coming. **

**Review? Please? I worked so very hard on this. You have no idea, I spent about four hours writing this story non-stop. Please? I'd love a review. I'd love one so very much. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy crap! Do you see the number of reviews up there? Sixty freakin' reviews! Oh my god! Thank you all so much, you have no idea how much that means. **

**And it's late, unbelievably so, so I'm sorry if I missed typos. I promise I did proofread, but my overtired brain was bound to miss something.**

**And now for something totally unrelated to this story. For anybody following Kamikaze, you'll be getting much more frequent updates starting Monday. Spring break starts this weekend! Woohoo! **

* * *

Rick trailed closely behind her as she made her way into the morgue, masterfully spinning the story of his first sci-fi convention. He was making it extremely hard to repress the grin that was fighting to break out. Nobody would guess that the charming playboy was a nerd at heart. She had to say, it was kind of cute.

"What do you have for us, Lanie?" Their latest case was definitely Beckett flavored. A man dressed as Spock had been found stabbed at a Star Trek booth of the New York Comic Con with his hands and feet zip-tied.

"A couple things, actually. First of all, there was a note in one of his hands." Lanie handed them a bag, a small piece of paper inside. The note was one word, but it didn't serve to answer any questions. _Traitor_.

"Traitor?" Her brow furrowed and she could practically hear the wheels in Rick's head turning, the cogs squeaking in protest at having to keep up with his creative imagination.

"This case just gets better and better." She heard Rick murmur from behind her. That slight contemplative tone he got whenever he was working a theory clear in his words.

"Mhm," Lanie moved on before he could venture too far into conjecture, "and I made a mold of the stab wounds. It's was a knife, seemed like one that would be used for close combat, with a blade that was seven inches long. I thought I'd seen the knife before so I double-checked and it turns out it's a KA-BAR knife, used by the military, just like the one in Javier's apartment." Rick's head shot up, eyes scanning Lanie's.

"KA-BAR?" He questioned, his tone suggesting he was onto something.

"Uh, yeah." The medical examiner raised an eyebrow, unsure as to where he was going with this. But she just turned to him, her eyes searching his for any answers the might hold.

"What, Castle?" She could feel the thrill coming over her, the thrill of building theory with someone who understood her train of thought so well that, when they were on a roll, he could finish it for her.

"Well, in Star Trek there's a knife called the KaBar combat knife used by the Federation for combat and survival. It was based off of the real KA-BAR knife. That could explain the note. His killer thought of himself as Federation, someone who served justice." Castle crossed over to the other side of the examination table to look at the note again, tracing his fingers over each letter as if it would help him understand. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to.

"Were you a fan, Writer-boy?" Lanie's amused grin was hard to miss considering it was probably taking up more than half of her face.

"Loved it, Lanie. I just had a marathon this weekend, it was awesome." That familiar sparkle in his eyes was on full display. She grinned as he looked at her over the M.E.'s head.

* * *

_She sneakily stole another handful of popcorn from his bowl, smiling when his reflexes were yet again too slow to slap her hands away. Grinning triumphantly, she began to eat her prize, munching on the salty treat as she leaned back into the comfortable couch. The elaborate high-speed starship chase played on the screen, complete with colorful lasers and cheesy sound effects. _

_ "I like Spock." She said, tilting her head to the side when one starship did a flip to avoid a white beam. _

_ "You would like Spock, Kate." He nudged her arm with his, causing her to drop several piece of popcorn onto her lap. She turned to him and frowned._

_ "And why is that?" Her tone was as much hesitant as it was defiant. _

_ "Because he's logical, he doesn't like to base things on conjecture. He follows facts, going where evidence leads him." He explained, pointing to the screen as if it would emphasize his point. And a very good point it was._

_ "Plus, his ears are pretty cool." She joked, watching as one of the ships was hit and its passengers began shouting out orders. _

_ "I'm calling you Spock from now on." He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the sides. She found herself smiling too. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers down his cheek, drawing random patterns. She wanted to trace the outline of his lips. She bet that they were still as soft as when they'd kissed all those years ago. She shook her head, clearing her mind of those thoughts. Ever since that conversation with Lanie those kinds of thoughts seemed to meander into her mind more often, distracting her at the most inopportune times. Like now, when he was expecting a response and all she could do was stare blankly at his lips. _

_ "Oh, no you don't, Kirk." She moved to grab more of his popcorn, hand darting out without warning. But he was quicker this time, grabbing her wrist and tugging so she fell onto his lap instead. She turned and glared up at him though it seemed to have no effect, the grin still painted onto his face. _

_ He raised an eyebrow at her and flicked a piece of popcorn at her, landing right in between her eyes. Rolling her eyes, she exhaled loudly and settled her head onto his thigh. After a few moments he lowered the bowl so it was even with her head, shaking it in silent offering. She smiled and reached out, snatching a handful.

* * *

_

"Mother wasn't too happy with the loud sounds of the futuristic final frontier not allowing her to get her beauty sleep." He smiled and she chuckled, remembering Martha's complaints all too well.

"I thought she moved in with her boyfriend or something?" At his questioning look, Lanie elaborated. "Kate told me." He nodded, moving so he was leaning against an unoccupied examination table.

"Her version of moving in is her being there for half the week and at the loft for the other half." He shook his head, sighing exasperatedly.

"She says it helps her stay mysterious." She interjected, laughing just as she'd tried not to when Martha explained her reasoning for being at the loft all the time. Lanie smiled, shaking her head amusedly.

"Smart woman." And she was.

* * *

_As soon as Alexis opened the door Rick was off and running. One moment he was sitting at the table, spearing carrots with his fork while debating with Martha over whether she made him make her cocktails for breakfast very often as a kid, and the next he was zooming out of the room, the rest of his food forgotten. _

_ "Pumpkin, Kate let me drive the car today!" The childlike glee in his voice had her biting her lip to repress a grin as he raced to greet his daughter at the door, telling the story of how she let him drive during a high-speed chase through the overcrowded streets of the city for what was probably the seventy-eighth time in the past hour. _

_ "He's happy, Kate." She looked up to find Martha staring at the father and daughter hugging, a far away look on her face. She probably should've known right then what Martha was talking about. Maybe she did but didn't really want to confront it, especially with his mother. But, for whatever reason, her brow furrowed in confusion. _

_ "Yeah, well, the combination of Alexis, it being his turn to pick the movie tonight and me letting him drive today is probably responsible. He's had a busy day, we'll have to have him in bed early tonight." She caught a small chuckle in response to her joke before Martha's expression turned more serious. _

_ "It's not just that." The actress said, playing the part of the wise elder perfectly. Her smile faded, she never thought Martha would bring this up, much less with Rick and Alexis in the next room. _

_ "What?" She opted to play dumb for a while longer, hoping she could stall long enough so that either Rick would come back or Martha would drop it. _

_ "We both know you're not stupid, Kate. Stop pretending that you have no idea what I'm talking about." Martha started to smile, as if she was reliving an old memory. She wasn't sure what prompted the change. Whether the redhead saw something in her eyes or those old stories of Castle coming from a family of psychics had some truth to them. She was betting on the first. But whatever it was, Martha took it as a cue to continue. _

_ "Richard's had a lot of relationships. He's had more than I can remember and I know that's a hell of a lot of baggage. I know it's scary, terrifying really. But I've been around for each relationship he's had, for each 'She's the one', every 'We broke up' and 'I don't know what to do'. And, Kate, I've never seen him this happy. I've never seen him so comfortable with being himself around someone who isn't Alexis or I. I've never seen him so natural. And trust me, that's the biggest guarantee you're ever going to get." Her breath caught and she knew she wasn't masking her surprise very well. _

_She choked back the usual denial, telling herself that maybe, just maybe, Martha was right. Maybe she should take the chance, jump off the ledge and trust that he would catch her. If there's anything she and Rick had, it was trust. She trusted him to help her catch those who robbed people of their lives, she trusted him to be there for her day in and day out, hell, she trusted him to keep her alive. And whether she wanted to or not, somewhere along the line she started trusting him with her heart. She opened her mouth to reply when he sauntered back into the room, Alexis tucked under his arm._

"_Now I believe it's my turn to pick, ladies." He smiled and gestured toward the sofa with his free arm. She just smiled, getting up and making her way over to the living room._

"_I believe it is, Rick." She said before letting herself fall onto the couch, snuggling further into the cushions.

* * *

_

She leaned against the examination table behind her, Rick standing by her side. He was close enough for her to smell his cologne, distinctly earthy. She turned slightly and realized just how close they were. Her mind started to wander, her eyes coming to settle on his lips. She was startled out of her reverie when he spoke.

"So did you do anything fun this weekend?" The question was accompanied by an eyebrow wiggle and suggestive smirk.

"Writer-boy, wipe that smirk off your face before I smack it off." At the stern look on the dark-haired medical examiner's face the smirk immediately disappeared, replaced by something a little more fearful.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lanie shot him a glare and he immediately turned sheepish, his hand coming up to scratch his neck lightly in an attempt to look innocent. She smiled at the antics but the expression immediately disappeared when Lanie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "What is that?" She didn't have to elaborate. They all knew what she was talking about.

* * *

_He sprinkled the cheese onto the thick layer of sauce as she piled the mushrooms high. Working as a team they quickly finished both pizzas in record time, him moving to get the wine and her beginning to toss the salad. It was familiar. It was natural. He moved to roll his neck and she heard a loud crack._

"_Getting too old for sleeping on the couch?" She teased, adding the cucumbers. He sent a glare her way before pouring a glass of wine for each of them. _

"_Maybe if someone hadn't decided to use me as a human pillow I would have been in a more comfortable position." He smirked and she blushed, remembering all too well how they'd woken up that morning. Sometime during the Star Trek marathon she'd fallen asleep, head resting comfortably on his thigh. Apparently he'd finished the marathon alone before decided she just looked to peaceful to move, resolving that sleeping on the couch wouldn't be that bad. They'd woken up in a completely different position. Him half-sitting and half-lying down while her head rested on his stomach, one arm snaked around his waist holding him close. _

"_You better not get married again, you wouldn't survive being in the doghouse so much." She laughed as she pulled the salad dressing out of the refrigerator. Well, dressings. The man had about twenty different kinds of salad dressing in there, saying that way it never got boring. She wasn't sure he could ever be boring. _

"_If I found the right girl I'd do it in a heartbeat." He looked at her and smiled. But that wouldn't have made her heart flutter – yes, actually flutter – if he just hadn't looked so damn sincere. She was sure there was a deeper meaning to his words. She was sure of it. Yet she ignored it. _

"_Speaking of which, how did that date go?" She winced when she realized that she sounded just a little jealous. Okay, maybe more than a little. She prayed that he'd miss it. He didn't._

"_Now I may not be an official detective but I do believe that I have some talent for deducing. And, if I'm not mistaken, I do believe I detect some jealousy, dear detective." He smirked at her before handing her a glass of wine. She rolled her eyes but it was only a half-hearted gesture. Because he was right, he was completely right and she wasn't sure what to do about it. _

"_In your dreams, Rick." She responded, buying herself some time. She knew where this response would lead. H__HHHH__e was more predictable than he thought._

"_Every single night." He winked at her like always but she picked up on something different this time. It wasn't just sexual innuendo. It wasn't just the blatantly obvious come-on she'd come to expect from him. It was so much more than that. It was truth. She looked into her glass, swirling the red liquid and searching it for her next move. Finally, she decided. _

"_What else do you dream about, Rick?" She looked up at him, biting her lip not only because she knew it drove him crazy but also because she was damn nervous. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, unsure of which way to run. He didn't know where she was going with this, whether it was teasing or so much more. So he stood there, unable to decide. And that was just fine with her. This would be easier if he was just as unbalanced as she was. _

"_Do you dream about me?" She wasn't sure where the seductive tone had come from but she welcomed it fully. She stepped forward until she had him pinned between her body and the counter. And for the first time they both seemed to notice the height difference between them. They were both barefoot, her head only coming up to his chin. She used it to her advantage. Looking at him through her lashes as she blinked innocently. "Hmm?" She heard him gulp before moving for the first time since her game had begun. He nodded. _

"_That's good." She plucked his wine glass from his hand. Surprised it hadn't crashed to the floor considering how loose of a grip he had on it; she placed it on the counter behind him. Her hands followed the glass, resting on the counter as she stepped forward and put her body flush against his. She heard him gasp and it took all of her self-control not to grin._

_ She rose up on her toes so she could look into his eyes. He was surprised, that was easy to see. It was also fairly easy to tell that he was hesitant. Nervous over whether she was just teasing him or nervous because she'd overstepped she wasn't sure. She desperately hoped it was the former. _

_But hidden in his deep blue eyes was something else, something she didn't expect to see. Sure, there was desire but she was used to that. She was used to the lust and the pure want. But she wasn't used to this. This was completely different, something she suspected he didn't usually let himself show or admit to. She understood completely. She wasn't even ready to name it, much less admit to it. Her lips were resting just above his, too far away and too close together at the same time._

"_Because I dream about you." And then all she could feel was fire. A tingling flame in her toes that made them curl. A slow burn in her heart, something she could see herself getting used to all too quickly. A raging wildfire – fast and hot – everywhere else. Her lips attacked his, pressing firmly against his and urging him to respond. And respond he did, his tongue making quick work of her defenses and exploring her mouth. His hands were in her hair, fingers tangling themselves in her curls in an effort to keep her anchored to him. _

_And her hands were not idle, slipping under his shirt to caress his chest. They circled his waist and pulled him closer to her with a fury she didn't know she possessed. Her mouth left his, trailing kisses down his jaw line to his ear. Latching onto his earlobe she nibbled gently before releasing him. She lingered there, making sure he could hear just how breathless she was, before peppering his neck with hot, wet kisses. She grazed her teeth over his pulse point and smirked at his groan, repeating the action before continuing. When she reached his collarbone she bit down slightly before sucking on the same spot, savoring the sounds he made. _

_But it wasn't long before he got impatient, pulling her mouth back to his for a searing kiss that had her glad she was using the counter to support some of her weight. The absolute need to feel him close to her was overwhelming, and so she obeyed. She grinded against him, moaning when she felt the undeniable evidence of his arousal pressed against her stomach. Their world was narrowed until everything was touch and sound. Moans and sighs flowed freely, though she wasn't really sure whom they were coming from. Their hands explored, becoming familiar with every aspect of the other's body. _

"_Bed." Her mouth disconnected from his for all of a second before they were fused together again. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers rooting themselves in his hair. Blindly, they made their way to the bedroom; driven by desire and that emotion neither of them was ready to face yet.

* * *

_

She opened the door and motioned for him to go through, smiling at the look he gave her. That smile turned into a full-blown grin when she looked back to see the suspicious look on her dark-skinned friend's face.

"Kate, did you give him that hickey?" Lanie's voice was a mix of excitement and astonishment. She laughed, throwing her head back and grinning uncontrollably.

"I only took your advice, Lanie. I marked my territory." And with that, she walked through the doors. Looking back just in time to see Lanie's face break into a large grin. It was hard to miss considering it probably took up more than half of her face. Turning toward the elevator she saw Rick waiting for her, a grin of his own etched onto his face. She smiled back at him, eyes sparkling with a newfound happiness.

"I bet you wanted that to happen." He said as they made their way into the elevator. They stood much closer than socially acceptable, though that had always been normal for them.

"What?" The doors closed and she turned to look at him.

"You wanted Lanie to see it." He said, leaning against the back wall.

"That's the point of marking you, Rick. All women see." The elevator doors opened and she sauntered out, looking back over her shoulder to see him still standing there with a silly grin on his face.

* * *

**And there it is, the conclusion. **

**What did you think? Please, please, please review. I really do love it and it really does make my day when I find even one review waiting for me when I check my email. **


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